Tight end Alex Herrera had a career day last weekend against No. 5 Tennessee Tech with seven catches for 88 yards. (Photo by EIUPanthers.com)
By Barry Bottino
The Tennessee Tech defense saw plenty of Eastern Illinois tight end Alex Herrera last weekend.
For EIU head coach Chris Wilkerson, the game proved one thing.
“I’ll be honest with you, we should be utilizing Alex quite a bit more as a coaching staff,” he said. “He’s a guy that we’ve got to continue to lean on these next couple weeks.”
Herrera’s seven catches last weekend matched a career best in an EIU uniform, while his 88 receiving yards is tops during his time in Charleston.
Herrera and the Panthers (3-7 overall, 2-5 OVC-Big South Football Association) play their final conference game of the season at 2 p.m. Saturday at Lindenwood (4-6, 3-3).
With Eastern’s wide receiver corps “banged up,” according to Wilkerson, Herrera found himself all over the field. He lined up against Tech at outside receiver, in the slot and flexed out of the line of scrimmage. Herrera also has been used out of the backfield.
“The opportunity to be used like that was awesome,” said Herrera, who also played wildcat quarterback in junior college. “It was exciting to get a chance to do what I know I can. It was definitely fun.”
The benefit for the Panthers, who were missing receivers Cooper Willman and C.J. Nelson to injury last week, was to buck conventional wisdom of what a tight end can do.
“When a defense sees a tight end, they might think, ‘They’re going to run or throw a flat route,’” the 6-foot-2, 240-pound Herrera said. “When they see me, their minds are wandering. There’s really no saying what we’re going to do. You can do anything with a tight end, in my opinion.”
During Eastern’s current five-game losing streak, the Panthers have endured a one-point loss, an overtime loss and held No. 5 Tennessee Tech to its lowest point total of the season in a 21-9 defeat.
“We haven’t been able to score enough points,” Wilkerson said. “We had two takeaways (against TTU) and we got no points out of those. It’s really about the points you create, or not allow, off of those turnovers.”
This week, Eastern ranks 97th nationally with 19.8 points per game among the 126 FCS teams. EIU ranks 91st in total offense with 328.3 yards per game and 65th in first downs (189).
This week’s opponent
Redshirt freshman Rico Bond has been a productive piece of the offense for Lindenwood. This week, he was honored as the OVC-Big South Freshman of the Week for the third time this season. He leads the team and ranks second in the conference with 50 receptions. Bond, who played high school football at East St. Louis in Illinois, has two 100-yard receiving games, and his 580 yards on the season are fifth-best in the conference. … The Lions have struggled to stop the run this season, allowing 190.1 yards a game and 20 touchdowns. … In every win this season, Lindenwood has not allowed a 100-yard rusher. In every loss, they have allowed at least one opposing player to rush for 100 yards. … Senior safety Eric Gant has career highs with 44 tackles and 11 passes defended, which is tied for the league lead. Linebacker Sanjay Strickland’s 80 tackles rank fourth in the OVC-Big South.
Kickoff: 2 p.m.; TV: ESPN-Plus; Radio: WEIU.net/hitmix
Key matchup to watch
EIU ground game vs. Lindenwood defense: The combination of running back Charles Kellom and quarterback Cole LaCrue have a big opportunity against the Lions, who have allowed a 100-yard rusher in every loss this season. Kellom (628 yards, three TDs) and LaCrue (508 yards, seven TDs) have been key to EIU’s rushing attack but have just one 100-yard game each. If one of them breaks out Saturday, it could help EIU to victory.
What’s at stake?
The Panthers are attempting to break a five-game losing streak.
Quick hits
Linebackers Ja’Wuan Nickson (8.9) and Tylan Foster (8.3) rank second and third this season in the conference in tackles per game. The transfer duo, which has 89 and 83 tackles, respectively, could both reach 100 tackles. Since 2013, only three players have reached the 100-tackle mark in a season (Seth McDonald, Jason Johnson and Anthony Shockey). … Coming into the season, neither Cole LaCrue nor Connor Wolf had taken a collegiate snap at quarterback. This season, that inexperience has shown amid their growth, Wilkerson said. “There’s no substitution for live game experience,” he said. “Cole has continued to grow as a passer. His numbers over the past couple weeks have been much more efficient. He’s a very talented athlete.” Early in the season, LaCrue’s biggest impact on the offense was as a runner. For Wolf, who has showed a strong arm in his first collegiate opportunities, injuries to a shoulder, knee and ribs have disrupted his season. “With Connor, the biggest thing has been his availability. We’re TBA on whether he’ll play this week,” said Wilkerson, who cited Wolf’s knee injury sustained last week against Tennessee Tech. … The Panthers rank 16th in FCS this season in red zone defense, according to NCAAsports.com. EIU has allowed 23 opposing scores (17 TDs, 6 FGs) in 31 opportunities, which is a 74.2% scoring rate. … Safety Josh Brown’s fumble recovery against Tennessee Tech was the Panthers’ 11th recovery of the season. That total ranks fourth nationally. Only four other teams have double-digit fumble recoveries. … Slow starts continue to plague EIU. The Panthers have been outscored 59-17 in first quarters this season. The last time Eastern scored a first-quarter touchdown was Oct. 4 against Tennessee State.
Barry Bottino is a co-founder of Prairie State Pigskin and a 19-year veteran of three Illinois newspapers. He has covered college athletics since 1995.
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